Funny how things change. When the 2021 NFL football season began last September, many Packer fans, secure in the knowledge that Aaron Rodgers had returned to captain the offense, were saying “if we can just get average play from our defense, we’re going to be Super Bowl contenders.” Yes, we were hoping for just average.
After a disastrous start against New Orleans, something unexpected began to happen. As the season continued to unfold, the improvement on the defensive side of the ball started to become palpable. The front was holding up blockers. Preston Smith and Rashan Gary were starting to get to the quarterback on a regular basis.